NEW YORK (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton was waiting for the right time to bring back Reggie Miller’s choke signal from the Pacers’ postseason past.
A big shot at Madison Square Garden with Miller in the building seemed perfect — even though his celebration turned out to be premature.
Haliburton ran toward the crowd along the sideline with his hands around his neck after hitting a long jumper as time expired in regulation Wednesday night. He hoped it was a 3-pointer to beat the New York Knicks, but video replay showed that his toe was on the line and it was a 2 that had tied the game.
The Pacers went on to win 138-135 in overtime in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
“Everybody wanted me to do it like last year at some different point, but it’s got to feel right and it felt right at the time,” Haliburton said. “If I would have known it was a 2, I would not have done it. So I might have wasted it.”
